Dempsey and Makepeace 4:3, Dogged Determination 2
by xLaramiex
Summary: Summary from part one: Dempsey and Makepeace must investigate a series of thefts at a large casino, but at the same time Makepeace is receiving silent phone calls. Will they solve either mystery? read part 1 first
1. Part 1

_I'm not doing a 'pre-titles sequence' in this 'episode' because it'd just be a recap if it was a TV episode and I'm really bad at recaps._

--

Harry stared at the dog lying in the gloomy shed. His head was resting on his paws, but he looked up at her as he caught the movement at the window.

Harry turned to Jack. "Why do you have the dog in your shed?" she asked.

"He came home the day after Sam was attacked. I couldn't tell anyone because they'll put him down. Even Sam doesn't know."

Harry looked at the shed for a few moments. "I'd best get on with it then," she said absently.

As she left the house, Sam came to the door. "Mrs Makepeace," she called. Harry turned back. "I just remembered, I heard this noise like a really big car, probably a van, actually. Just in case that's helpful…"

Harry smiled reassuringly, even though Sam couldn't see it. "I'm sure that will be helpful. I'll see you soon, alright?"

"Goodbye," Sam replied, and as she shut the door Harry turned to get back into her car. She frowned as she drove along, pondering the possible presence of the van. Had it been there or not? And had the occupants been part of the attack or simply bystanders? Surely, she thought, if they had been witnesses they would have come forwards by now. Or perhaps they had, but Jack hadn't been told?

Harry drove past the sign proclaiming it was the road she wanted. She parked up 50 yards down the road and got out.

She walked along the road the same way Sam had, picturing the shopping bag swinging from her hand, the dog trotting at her feet. She scanned the dirty brick walls, the grey pavement, the small, grubby shops for clues.

Harry stopped as she saw a cul-de-sac; in itself it was unremarkable, but there were wide black tyre marks on the ground. After returning briefly to her car to retrieve a measuring tape, she took down the exact width and length of them. It meant nothing to her, but she was quite sure a garage or more likely somebody at the police station would be able to give her an idea of the size and speed of the vehicle.

Harry looked thoughtfully at the tyre tracks, following their assumed yet invisible path away from the high street. She could see no evidence of an attack on this side of the road, so she crossed it and searched the other side. Almost immediately, she noticed a stain on the wall.

"So this is where Sam hit her head…" she murmured to herself. She guessed the height from the ground, tested its likelihood of being the right place by leaning backwards as though falling, and squinted at it to see if it was the right colour. It did indeed seem to be the right place.

Crouching down, she scanned the floor thoroughly. What was that? A few black hairs clinging to a nail that had been protruding out of the brickwork. The dog must have brushed against it, maybe scratched itself.

After a short conversation with the rather baffled owner of the shop that the nail had been in the wall of, Harry obtained both permission and a hammer to knock the nail out of the wall and into the bag the shop owner - a middle-aged, balding man - was holding open for her.

"That's great, thank you very much," she said politely. "Now Mr White, there was a girl who was attacked here by a dog on Tuesday 22nd, last month. Did you see or hear anything unusual?"

"Tuesday 22nd…" Mr White repeated in a thoughtful voice. "No, I'm sorry, I was at a wedding. Friend of the wife's, you know."

Disappointed, Harry nodded. "Right, thank you. And, thanks again for your help."

Though she asked every one of them, Harry was soon to find that none of the other occupants of the road were any more helpful. Some had been out, some busy, some simply hadn't heard anything. Feeling downcast, she made her way to the forensics lab at the police station.

The tyre measurements were accepted without question, and her old friend was happy to pass them on to someone who could do something with them. The hairs, however, were another matter.

"You want me to do an expensive, reserved for important cases like murder and rape - and did I mention expensive - DNA test on a _dog__?!_"

Harry could understand his incredulity; after all, it was a fairly new process, and - as he had stressed - it _was_ expensive.

"Do it for me," she begged. "As a personal favour."

"That's all very well Harriet, but where's the money going to come from?"

"I'll pay," she said immediately.

"You'll pay?" He sounded surprised.

"Of course." She watched him as he searched for the jest in her eyes. Finding none, he sighed.

"Fine. I know it must be important, or you wouldn't ask. I must be mad. I'll call you in a few days, when I have the results for you."

"A few days?" she asked, disappointed.

"Usually it takes much longer," he said pointedly.

Harry grimaced apologetically. "Thank you. I'll bring the other dog's stuff over tomorrow."

"This is going to be very difficult, you know. If there's no blood on this it'll be virtually useless."

"Just do your best with it." She looked at him sincerely as she said: "Thank you."

She couldn't get thoughts of the test out of her mind all the way to Dempsey's. When she arrived, he seemed to be watching her closely. She was sure it was because of the phone call the night before, but it still made her feel self-conscious.

She drove the two of them to the casino, after Dempsey had ensured that she was wearing the ring. He lounged casually in the passenger seat, his right arm leaning on her seat; every time she changed gear, his fingers brushed her upper arm and, as though they were completing a circuit, she felt a slight shock each time.

_Has he always done that, or have I only just noticed?_ she asked herself, not at all sure. She tried to tell herself she wasn't deliberately changing gear.

--

_I'm not convinced there was very good DNA testing in D&M's time, but I googled it and it seems there would have been something __available for them. I'm very sorry for the delay in this coming... I'm afraid exams and revision have rather taken over my life over the last few months._


	2. Part 2

Harry was distracted, Dempsey could tell. Usually, on a job, she switched off completely from any outside thoughts, but tonight she kept lapsing into silence for long periods, frowning into her glass and tracing patterns in the condensation.

"Alright, we'll talk to you another time, right?" Dempsey said to a couple who were on their way out. They nodded goodbye to Harry, but she missed it. Dempsey looked from her preoccupied expression down to her glass, on which she had started tapping repeatedly with her nails. He was starting to worry about her. Motioning for the dealer that he was in, he finished the remainder of his beer.

Tapping, tapping, tapping. It was irritating. He put his hand over hers to make her still; she looked up at him with a vaguely shocked expression. He wasn't sure if it was the surprise of being pulled out of her reverie or the surprise of his touch. Privately, he hoped it was the latter. He shifted his hold to take her hand properly.

"Come on, Mrs Walker. What's the matter? We're having fun, remember?" he said, as a gentle reminder of their undercover role.

"Sorry - er - James, I…I don't feel too well. I'm probably just…tired." Harry felt like running her hands through her hair, like curling up and going to sleep, like running through the streets screaming, but his hand over hers felt like an anchor. It felt as though she wouldn't be able to move until he let go.

She sighed, and unconsciously covered their hands with her other hand. She glanced up at Dempsey and he had a frown on his face. He's suspicious. He knows I'm up to something.

"Goddammit Harry, cheer up or you're gonna blow our cover," he hissed fiercely.

"I'm just going to the ladies'," she replied demurely, surrendering their contact in an effort to appear normal. "Could you get me another drink?"

"Yeah, sure," Dempsey replied, sounding downcast.

When Harry reached the bathroom, she leaned back against the sink. She eased the ring off, which was a little too small for her, and left it next to the sink as she rubbed her finger idly.

She had to focus. One case at a time. She wasn't getting enough sleep, that was the problem, and it was why she was losing her concentration now.

"James and Harriet Walker," she said softly, testing the words in her mouth. She looked around almost guiltily to see if anyone had heard her, but the bathroom was deserted. She went into one of the stalls.

When she came out, she felt a shock as she realised the ring was gone. She looked everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found. As she went back to Dempsey, she mentally berated herself for being so stupid. Dempsey pushed a drink towards her as she sat down. She took a swig of it to steel her nerves.

"De- James," she corrected herself, not to give them away. "I lost the ring."

--

"You did WHAT?" stormed Spikings when Harry told him.

"I lost the ring," Harry said again.

"I told you to after that, Sergeant. You realise you're going to have to pay for it?"

"Be fair on her, Chief." Harry and Spikings rounded on him. "She wanted to spend a penny and now she can spend a few more," he finished with a smirk.

"I am not amused, Lieutenant. I sent you in there to get answers and you've come out with nothing."

Harry glanced at her watch reflexively. She'd wanted to get some blood from Sam the dog before she went home, but it seemed that it might be too late.

"Am I keeping you from something, Sergeant?" Spikings asked in a level voice that was filled with anger.

"Well" - she caught sight of his face - "no, sir, of course not," she finished in a resigned tone. Dempsey looked at her suspiciously.

"Now listen to me, you two. You're going to find that ring and you're going to find out what's going on at that casino. Now go home and get thinking!"

--

First thing the next morning, Harry drove to Jack and Sam's house and collected a blood sample from Sam the dog with the equipment that her friend Joshua Simpson from the lab had given her the day before. She'd been quiet as she went through the house to the back garden; she was there before Sam had woken up so she wouldn't find out her dog was in the shed.

As she left, the blood sample in her bag, Jack stopped her on the doorstep and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "I'm so grateful to you for doing this."

Harry smiled. "It's my pleasure."

Harry immediately drove the sample to the lab. Joshua explained that someone in the department had looked at the tyre tracks for her.

"It was definitely a quick getaway," he told her. "But any guess as to the vehicle would be inaccurate. It would be better to compare your measurements with the suspect vehicle, if you find it."

"Thank you for trying," Harry said, disappointed.

She returned to the road and took a photo of the tyre tracks, the blood on the wall, and the street from different angles, and sent them off to be developed. She did not return home until well after noon.

The next two days consisted of days spent in an agonising limbo of waiting and evenings spent at the casino with Dempsey, when she was tired from worrying and from spending time at Jack and Sam's house. Sam had taken a liking to her, and often asked her to talk about her job. She seemed fascinated by anything Harry said.

In the evening of the third day, Joshua called her and told her he had the results. She rushed to pick them up and arranged to meet Jack for lunch the next day to open the envelope.

When she was with Dempsey that night, he seemed to spend most of his time frowning at her. After several hours of this, when they were in the bar, she stopped pretending she hadn't noticed and turned to him with a glare.

"James, you're staring at me," she pointed out.

"You're very quiet," he responded, ignoring her statement.

Harry took a sip of her drink to buy herself time. "I suppose the late nights are catching up with me."

"It's not that late."

"Well I don't have anything to say!"

"Hey, don't yell at me, I'm not the one sat there looking like someone spat in her English tea!"

"Stop asking me questions that are none of your business then."

"Maybe you'd be happier if I just stopped talking to you altogether?" Dempsey suggested spitefully.

"Maybe I would," she snapped back, tiredness and anxiety making her short-tempered.

"I'll ignore you then, since you wouldn't miss me."

"Good," she snapped.

"Harry, d'you wanna go out for lunch with me tomorrow?" Dempsey asked suddenly.

Harry stared at him for a moment, still in the 'I hate you, you fool!' stage. "I…I can't," she told him, genuinely apologetic. "I've, er, got a date." Only a slight lie.

"You got a date?" Dempsey repeated. He looked disappointed and slightly stunned. He'd probably worn this expression when he was a boy and his mum told him he couldn't have an extra piece of candy. "With who?"

"His name's Jack." Part of her wanted to sustain the look on his face, to cling to the fact that he missed her company, so she went on to tell him the name of the restaurant to which they were going.

"Oh, right. Um…Well, okay."

"How about another day?" she suggested.

"Yeah, great," he agreed flatly, and turned away from her.


	3. Part 3

Long wait, homework, no time, apologies. You know the drill.

After trying to extend this and make sure it's long enough, I now find myself in the situation that it's going to be too long. How strange.

----

When Harry awoke the following morning, there was a tight knot of apprehensive expectation curled in her stomach like a snake. She sat up and saw the envelope containing Sam's future - both Sams. She'd promised Jack that she wouldn't open it until they met up, but the suspense was enormous. She could only imagine what it was like for him.

Studiously ignoring it, Harry went downstairs to make some tea and toast to feed the hungry cobra in her belly. If the DNA profiles matched, Sam the dog was guilty of attacking his owner. Jack had told her that if the dog had attacked his daughter, he would have it put down, and Sam would be without her eyes. If the DNA profiles were different, there was another dog involved which Harry would have to find. And she had no idea how to do that. Harry frowned as she ate her breakfast, wishing that the four hours until she was to meet Jack at noon would pass quickly.

Around nine o'clock, she began to feel so stifled that she went into work. She made sure to take the envelope with her, so she could go straight out. Spikings did a double-take when he saw her sitting at her desk among the other officers in that day.

"What are you doing here, Harry? You do know you don't have to come in today?"

"I'm bored," she explained ruefully.

"So you thought you'd do some paperwork? I'm not sure that's the best way to stave off boredom."

"Well I couldn't let Dempsey hog it all. You know how much fun he has," she teased.

Spikings gave a derisive snort and disappeared into his inner office. Harry turned back to the large pile of paper in front of her; having no reports or case notes to sort out, she had instead opted for organising the filing cabinets. She had too much nervous energy to settle to anything else, but at least she was doing something productive.

As eleven-thirty approached, Harry put all of the paperwork back into its various folders and drawers, and picked up her coat and bag. The restaurant at which she was meeting Jack was about 20 minutes drive away, but she knew Jack would be there early.

Sure enough, when she entered the building, it was to see Jack waiting for her at a table next to the window. It wasn't a very expensive restaurant, but it was clean and welcoming and the staff were friendly. The colour theme seemed to be clinical white and chilli-red. Harry crossed the room and joined Jack at his table.

"Hello, Jack."

"Hello, Harriet." He sounded nervous."Shall we order first? Or do you want to get it over and done with?" Harry asked sympathetically.

"I don't think I could eat a thing. Open it first, and then we'll order."

Harry nodded and pulled the envelope out of her bag. She offered it to Jack, but he held up a hand in refusal, so she ripped it open herself and read:

"Dear Harry, I hope this is the result you wanted. It had better be because it was very expensive." Harry shared a smile with Jack; he looked sheepish. His embarrassment was endearing. "The team has looked at the results of both DNA tests and has concluded that it is not the same dog."

Jack stared at her, his eyes wide. "That's…" He never finished his sentence; instead he leaned across the table and kissed her. He looked nervous again as he sat back, but when Harry just grinned at him, understanding it was only through gratitude and relief, he grinned back. "I'm so relieved," he said through a sigh.

A hand found Harry's shoulder and she jumped. "Hiya, Harry," came a familiar voice.

Harry turned to glare at her partner. "What are _you_ doing here?" she asked angrily. "This is private."

"Who's this?" Jack asked neutrally.

"This is James, my - James Dempsey, my partner. At work," she added, realising she'd been unclear. She hoped nobody had noticed her calling Dempsey by his first name; she'd wanted to for a while, and calling him James while they were undercover seemed to have rewired her brain. She knew Dempsey had noticed by the way he took a moment to look at her before turning to nod at and quickly size up Jack.

Jack was still smiling. "Hello. Pleased to meet you. Harriet's been finding out about my daughter's attack."

Dempsey looked at him for a moment as though he was stupid. "Come on, we gotta go," he said, abruptly turning his back on Harry's companion.

"Dempsey! We're having lunch," she protested, glaring at him pointedly.

Dempsey swung around briefly to shoot Jack a dirty look. "Tell that to Spikings. Come on, Harry, he told me to get you back there straight away."

They had a short, silent battle of wills through eye contact. Harry gave up, knowing she would have to go anyway. She sighed irritably. "Fine. Jack, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to go. I'll call you tomorrow if I get chance."

"Bye, Harriet. Thank you."

Harry picked up her bag and followed Dempsey sedately out of the restaurant as he stalked to his car, which was parked next to hers. He stopped before he reached it and spun around to talk to her.

"I thought that was a date?" he asked with narrowed eyes. "He said something about an attack on his daughter."

_I should have known he'd pick up on that,_ Harry thought. There was no going back now; she decided to come clean. "His daughter was attacked by a dog. She's blind and everyone thought it was her seeing-eye dog. She didn't want to lose him so I've been investigating."

Dempsey looked at her with his tilted slightly to the side. A smile spread across his face. "Harriet Makepeace," he began in a slow drawl, and she fought the urge to shudder. "You've been workin' yourself into the ground for the sake of a mangy dog."

"No, Dempsey. I've been trying to protect the freedom of a girl who can't get around without her best friend." She put up with Dempsey grinning at her for a few more seconds before asking: "Why do we have to go in?"

"Boss had a call from one of his snitches. He says the casino's gonna be hit tonight, even has a name for us."

"Hit? Hit in what way? And what's the name?"

"Tommy Stone. Now the guy doesn't know what's gonna happen but he's pretty sure they've got guns."

"Let's get moving, then," Harry replied, and the two of them drove back to the office.

--

"There's one thing I don't understand," Harry said after a while. She and Dempsey were poring over the files, searching for clues. "The ring I was wearing - it was fake. But it still got stolen."

"Maybe they don't know jewellery too well," Dempsey said dismissively. His feet on her desk were obscuring his face.

"Exactly."

Dempsey tilted his feet over to look at her.

Harry took it as a cue to continue. "We've been looking for someone who knows jewellery. The diamond was a good fakery, but it was fake all the same and anyone who knew jewellery would see that straight away. I think our thief is doing it to draw attention away from what's really going on."

"And what's really going on?"

"That's what we've got to find out."

----

It's also what I've only just decided! Haha it's very slightly different to what I originally intended but it works better -grins- I just hope the last chapter doesn't end up being 5 thousand words long or something - I have a lot of loose ends to tie up.

I think I'm going to focus on Dempsey for the next 'episode'; the last 2 stories seem to have focused on Harry. So I'll get my thinking cap on..


	4. Part 4

I'm going for a bumper-length final part. Enjoy =) Ooh, I've suddenly decided whodunnit. Hehe I usually plan these things much more rigidly but this time I didn't xD

I've also now decided, due to how long it is taking to finish this chapter, that this is going to have five parts.

--:--

"I still don't see why we couldn't have borrowed a necklace like we did with the ring," Harry complained, frowning at Dempsey as he drove them to the casino.

"I told you, Spikings'd never let us have another one, not after you lost that ring."

"I didn't lose it!" Harry protested. "It was stolen."

"To-may-to, to-mah-to; as far as he's concerned, you lost it." Dempsey accelerated to get through an amber light before it turned red.

"I do wish you'd learn to drive properly," Harry said mildly.

"Hey, I can drive; just because I don't crawl around all the time don't mean I can't drive."

"It _does_ mean you don't pay attention to the speed limit." Harry pointed at the speedometer, which showed 46 mph. "It's 40 down here."

Dempsey didn't reply. He didn't slow down, either. No doubt he thought one flash of his badge and they'd let him off. Unless it was a rare female cop, in which case he'd flash a smile.

Soon enough, they reached their destination. Erica Smith, the woman they'd met on their first night, was outside the front door smoking. She waved as they approached arm-in-arm, and greeted them in her high, nasal tone.

"You back again?" she asked.

"Yeah, we just can't stay away," Dempsey replied cheerfully.

"Do you happen to have seen a diamond ring anywhere? I've misplaced my wedding ring and I think it was here I lost it," Harry put in.

Erica looked between them. "No. That's a shame that you lost it. Maybe ask at the front desk?" she suggested.

"Thank you," Harry replied, and glanced at Dempsey to see that he was watching Erica with narrowed eyes. She pulled him away. "We'll see you inside, alright?"

"She was real rattled when you asked her that," Dempsey observed the moment they were out of earshot.

"Yes, she knows something. Maybe it was her that stole the ring; it was in the woman's bathroom, after all. Wait ten minutes then go out for a smoke and ask Chas to check up on her," Harry suggested, following Dempsey as he sat at a blackjack table. "We might find out something important," she added more quietly.

Dempsey placed a bet. "Let's hope so, 'cause God knows we got nothin' else to go on." He looked at Harry sympathetically as she yawned. "You need a break."

"Mmm, probably," she agreed.

Dempsey continued to watch her as she yawned again, covering her mouth with her hand. He smiled at the fact she could even make an action like yawning seem ladylike. He watched her watching the other people at the table gambling. Her earrings swung as she moved her head, and her eyes caught the light from the lamp above their heads. He wanted to kiss her lipstick-red lips, her smooth cheeks…

"You're staring at me, James," Harry observed for the third time that week, still watching the others.

There was silence for about five seconds. Harry glanced at him, wondering if he'd even heard, and found that his eyes were still fixed on her. "Yeah," he admitted quietly. Harry felt caught in his eyes. Dempsey opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, and coughed awkwardly. "I'll, eh, I'll go and speak to Chas," he said, getting up and leaving the room with the air of someone escaping a tiger.

Harry watched him leave, trying to process what had just happened. She'd never expected him to respond seriously, and it had caught her off-guard. He'd flirted before, but that had been light-hearted jests and teases - this felt different.

"Are you going to bet, madam?" asked the dealer, interrupting her thoughts.

"No…" she responded absent-mindedly, and left the table to stand close to one of the walls, out of the way. Had he meant anything by it? Probably not. She guessed it was just embarrassment at having been caught not paying attention. A small voice in her head whispered that he'd been embarrassed to be caught looking at her - but in any case, it was probably an accident. She knew how easy it was to stare at someone when you didn't realise what you were looking at, too engrossed in your own thoughts to pay attention to anything around you.

Proving her point, she was startled from her ruminations by Dempsey's voice. "You are not gonna _believe_ who Erica Smith is," he announced.

"Who?"

"She is the daughter of one of the partners of this casino! Her mom and dad, that's Grace and Oliver Smith, split up when she was in her late twenties, about five years ago, and about a year after her dad set up this place."

"Hmm…That could be significant," Harry mused, the new information distracting her from her deliberations.

"Oh, it is," Dempsey assured her, his eyes wide. "Her mom got a new boyfriend a year ago, one Tommy Stone."

"Tommy Stone! The man we were tipped off about! You said Oliver Smith set this up a year before they were divorced?"

"So maybe Grace didn't get all the money she wanted from it," Dempsey said, carrying on her train of thought.

"And maybe Stone wants a piece of the fortune now he knows what his girlfriend's ex-husband has," Harry agreed.

"Spikings is sending backup. They'll be here in about half an hour," Dempsey informed her. "We should have a look at his records." Dempsey put his arm around her shoulders and they left the room together to go in search of Oliver Smith's office, which turned out to be a small room just off the corridor that led away from the main gambling room.

"You go and look in there, I'll keep watch," Dempsey murmured. Harry went inside and starting searching the room, rifling through drawers and the papers on the desk. She found a thick orange paper folder labelled 'Finance' and opened it to find a selection of different-coloured paper files, one for each month. She scanned through the figures quickly.

"Harry," Dempsey hissed from the door, making Harry jump. "You found anythin'?"

"There seems to be less profit reaching his partner than there should be," she whispered back. Replacing the folder where she had found it, Harry went on to look at the other bits of paper on his desk. There was a page of scruffy handwriting lying underneath a pile of other sheets. Harry picked it up out of curiosity.

'_Feb 5000, 5000_

_Mar 5000, 5000_

_Apr 10000, 10000_

_May 20000, 18500_

_Jun 50000, 35690_

_I can't afford any more.'_

Harry gathered her courage to call her partner by his first name again. She loved the implied closeness but it was new enough to still make her uncomfortable. "James, look at this!" she called quietly.

Dempsey came into the room and took the paper from her. He read it silently. "So he's been skimming his own profits," he deduced.

"Well, his partner's," Harry pointed out, rifling through the papers again. "I wonder why…Hold on, what's this.." She had uncovered a sheet of paper on which was written simply:

'_July, 50000 or you know what happens. TS.'_

Harry looked sideways at Dempsey who was leaning over to read it. "TS, Tommy Stone. Blackmail," he observed.

"Thank you, James, I didn't spot that," she replied dryly. "It seems to me that Stone has been demanding money that Oliver Smith can't or won't pay, and he's lost his patience and decided to raid the place. Come on, let's go. We'd better take this with us."

Harry and Dempsey crept out of the office and returned to the main room. They were making their way to the bar to keep an eye out for Stone when Dempsey stopped dead, holding out a hand to stop Harry as well. "Why would he leave his office unlocked?"

"He's careless?"

"Harry, he owns a casino, he can't afford to be careless. Which means somebody has broken in. Which means -"

"Tommy Stone is already here."

Dempsey swore under his breath and Harry saw his hand drift unconsciously to check his gun. Both of them looked around the bustling room carefully.

"What does he look like?" Dempsey asked.

"I told you to read that description more carefully. Medium build, about 5'5", blond hair, green eyes." She spotted a man exactly fitting the description she had just stated at a dice game, his eyes moving restlessly around the room. She pointed him out surreptitiously to Dempsey. "There. How long until that backup gets here?"

"10 minutes, minimum. We're on our own with this one."

"The question is, do we get him for blackmail or do we wait and add robbery?" Harry mused.

"I never thought I'd say this, but there's a lotta innocent people here and they could get hurt if we wait. I say we get him outside and arrest him for blackmail. We might get 'em for attempted robbery too."

Harry took one last glance at Stone before deciding. "Agreed. But how are we going to do that?"

"I think Harry Walker should go and charm him outside," Dempsey suggested.

"Why me?!"

Dempsey raised his eyebrows at her. "I don't think I'm his type."

"Oh, right," she replied, feeling foolish. "You think he'll go for it?"

"There's a chance. It won't be long before they hit, though; it's quieter than it has been and there's be plenty of cash around."

Harry huffed irritably. "Fine. But first let's have a bit of an argument, then you can storm out to surprise him and I've got an excuse to go over there."

"Good idea. That's just stupid!" he added in a loud voice.

"Just like you! You think you've hidden it so well but I know what you get up to!"

"What _I_ get up to? What about _you_? You stand there right in front of me flirting with all those men, you're such a whore! I can't help it if I feel a bit unwanted sometimes!" A group of people close by paused their conversation to listen.

"I've never slept with any of them though, have I? Who was the latest one, eh? Some young secretary from your office? Is that why you've been working so late?"

"I told you, I've been busy with work!"

Harry took the opportunity to slap him, trying to make it look realistic while not actually hurting him too much. Nevertheless, the crack resounded through the room. Most people were silent by now.

Dempsey took a step towards her, pushing his face close to hers with a cruel look on his face. "I'm gonna make you pay for that when we get home," he hissed, loud enough for most of the room to hear, and then stormed out with murderous intent scorched across his skin. Those in his path quickly moved away.

Eyes returned to Harry. She offered a weak smile, trying to look close to tears, and starting walking in the general direction of Stone. People began to lose interest and turn away, and by the time she stopped walking the serious business of losing money had recommenced. "Hello," she greeted Stone softly. "I'm Harry Walker."

Tommy Stone raked his eyes down and up her body, from her long earrings, past the royal blue dress which was lower than most of the ones she owned, down to rest briefly on her bare calves. Harry resisted the very strong urge to kick him in an extremely painful place.

"Tommy Stone," he replied, holding out his hand. Harry took it but instead of shaking it he kissed her fingers.

"Looks like I'm on my own now," she said, glancing towards the door out of which Dempsey had exited. "Do you think I could talk to you for a little while? I'm scared to go home until he calms down."

"Sure," he replied with a lecherous smile. "You just stay here for a bit." His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her closer towards him. Harry began to feel very uncomfortable and wished Dempsey had not gone outside.

Thinking quickly, she began to cry. "He scares me so much sometimes. I think he's going to really hurt me again!"

Stone regarded her with a look of distaste. "Stop crying," he commanded.

"I think I just need some fresh air, it's so stuffy in here. Would you come outside with me for a moment?" She looked at him with pleading eyes.

He glanced at his watch. "Alright, fine." Clearly he still thought he was going to get lucky. How, Harry had no idea, since he was going to steal from a large casino that night.

She walked out of the main door ahead of him. Behind her, she heard Dempsey say calmly, "Armed police officer; Tommy Stone I am arresting you for the blackmail of Oliver Smith. You are not required to say anything but anything you do say will be taken down and may be used in evidence against you."

Stone turned around slowly. He was grinning. "Oh yeah?"

Harry and Dempsey instinctively shifted closer together as they heard two safety catches clicking off. They were outnumbered, but only just. They looked between the two new arrivals, sizing them up. Dempsey twisted to grab Stone's gun by the barrel, forcing it downwards as he pulled the trigger; the shot slammed into the ground; Harry dodged as the other two moved forward, kicking one of them in the shins and relieving him of his gun as he gasped in pain.

Dempsey was still struggling with Stone and she suddenly realised that the third man was pointing his gun at Dempsey; she leapt forward and pushed him into the ground face first and grabbed his gun. Dempsey managed to grab Stone's gun and pushed him to the ground as well. The man still hopping around from his kick to the shin surrendered, holding up his hands with wide eyes.

"Get down on the floor," Dempsey ordered, and the man complied. Harry and Dempsey shared a grin, both panting.

--

"Dempsey, are you ready to go?" Harry asked when Spikings had finished talking to her. Their colleagues had arrived minutes after they'd made their arrest, and took them to reside in a police cell to be questioned in the morning. Harry and Dempsey had stayed on the scene to give their statements and check for any other evidence that would be useful in court.

"Sure," he replied, approaching her.

Harry thought for a moment. She had really wanted to talk to Sam that night. "What time is it?"

"Uh, eleven-thirty."

"Is that too late to go and see Jack?" she wondered aloud.

Dempsey's face darkened slightly. "I thought you were just helping his daughter?" he said in a carefully calm voice.

"Well, yes. I wanted to go and talk to Sam again and see if she can shed any light on the matter."

Dempsey watched her silently for a moment longer, an undeterminable expression on his face. "I guess it's not too late."

"That's good…Could you drop me off at the office, then, so I can get my car?" she asked as they began walking towards Dempsey's car.

"No," he replied flatly.

"Oh…" Harry replied, wondering how she was going to get to Jack's. "Why?"

"I'll take you. It'll be much quicker and that way I can pick you up tomorrow morning." He grinned at her as they got into his car.

"Is that necessary?" she asked.

"No. But it's much more fun."

Harry rolled her eyes at him and he drove off with a grin. Secretly, she thought it was rather sweet of him.

--:--

Here ends part 4 =) Part 5, the final part, will be uploaded as soon as I've written it :P


	5. Part 5

The scene I've been writing/waiting for has been postponed again -rolls eyes- Never mind :P

--:--

They arrived at Jack's at about 12.15. She didn't want to knock too loudly in case they'd already gone to bed, but after a few minutes Jack opened the door, still fully dressed. His face lit up when he saw her.

"Harriet! Do come in," he offered, stepping back. Dempsey shot him a look of dislike as he walked by. As Jack followed Harry and Dempsey into his living room, he asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I wanted to talk to Sam again. Is she still up?" Harry asked, as she and Dempsey sat down.

Jack grinned widely. He left the room and they heard him call: "Sam! Harriet's here!" He walked back into the room, still grinning. Harry watched him curiously.

After a moment, Harry and Dempsey heard movement on the stairs. A golden Labrador bounded through the open door and into the living room, making straight for Dempsey. It stopped right in front of him and sniffed at him.

Harry laughed in delight just as Sam entered the room. "It's Sam!" Harry exclaimed, reaching over to rub the dog affectionately on the head.

"I missed him so much," Sam said, her face much brighter than Harry had ever seen her. Sam sat down on the sofa; Sam the dog tried to help by nudging her legs. It was clearly no help, but Harry thought the dog was adorable.

"Right, Sam. Now we know your dog wasn't guilty, we need to find out who it was that attacked you. Is there anybody you know who has a black Labrador?"

"Um…I-I don't think so."

Harry glanced at Jack to see that he was narrowing his eyes at his daughter. Evidently he suspected she was lying as much as Harry did. He stood up abruptly. "I'm going to make some tea," he announced. He left the room and Harry and Dempsey turned back to Sam. They both knew she had something to say, so they waited silently.

The moment Sam heard the tap running, she began to speak rapidly. "My ex-boyfriend, Gregory. He had a black Lab. Dad didn't like his friends and he didn't want me to talk to him so I never told him we were dating. In the end I felt too bad about deceiving dad so I broke up with him. I can't see that he'd do anything like this though…We loved each other."

"We've heard that before," Dempsey commented dismissively.

"Where can we find him?" Harry asked.

"He lives a few miles away, 17 Queen Street. I haven't seen him since we broke up."

"The tea's nearly done," Jack called from the kitchen. Harry appreciated his understanding.

"James and I are off now," she called back. The two of them made to leave. As they reached the front door, Jack stopped Harry with a gentle hand on her elbow.

"So, umm…Are we going to get to continue that lunch sometime?" he asked shyly.

Harry knew there were two factors that affected her response. First was that she genuinely liked Jack; he was kind and sweet and his love for his daughter was endearing. Second, she had an insatiable urge to see how Dempsey would react. "Certainly. What about one day next week?" Her eyes flickered towards Dempsey. He was scowling.

"Or tomorrow?" he suggested hopefully.

Harry couldn't help but smile at his keenness to see her. "Alright. Erm, when? Where?"

"How about dinner?" he suggested softly.

"Sounds good," she replied, making Jack smile bashfully at the floor, looking delighted.

Dempsey slammed the door behind him as he left the house. Harry found herself hoping he was jealous.

Jack grimaced guiltily. "I think your colleague's getting bored of waiting. It is quite late, I suppose."

Harry now wondered if that really had been why he had walked out. "Yes. I should probably go now."

Jack moved around her to open the door for her. "Good night, Harriet."

"Good night," she responded as she crossed the threshold.

Jack took a step after her; she paused, and he kissed her lips gently. "I'll call you tomorrow, if that's okay?"

Harry nodded, and they shared a smile before she walked away to return to Dempsey's car.

"Sorry about that," she said as she got in the car. "Is it alright if we go to Queen Street now? We might as well, while we're out."

Dempsey was silent in the driver's seat as he accelerated out of the street, but he turned the wrong way for going home so she assumed he was heading for Gregory's house. She looked out of the window at the unlit houses moving by in the dark. Pools of light from the streetlamps slid over the two of them. Dempsey was slumped down a little in his seat, frowning.

_I think I prefer shy, kind Jack to this sulking, arrogant man,_ she thought briefly. She wasn't really sure how she felt any more.

Dempsey pulled up outside a small terraced house. He switched off the engine and got out, so Harry followed him and saw the house had '17' scrawled in white paint on one of the bricks next to the door. Harry knocked loudly on the door. Dempsey peered into one of the windows.

"I think he's asleep. Or out, maybe," Harry said, turning to Dempsey.

He leant down and peered through the letterbox. He froze. Suddenly he snapped the letterbox shut and straightened up. He pounded loudly on the door. "Oi! Open up!"

"Dempsey!" Harry hissed, feeling very conspicuous. "You're going to wake up the whole street!"

"I'm testing a theory," Dempsey replied, unconcerned.

"What theory?"

"The theory that in the hallway is indeed Gregory and his dog."

"What?"

"I can see Gregory lying face-down on the stairs, with the dog next to him. And it smells. Can you smell that?"

Harry looked through the letterbox. An unmistakeable smell reached her nostrils. "They're both dead, aren't they?" she stated.

"Yeah," Dempsey agreed grimly. They stood on the doorstep for a moment, both at a loss as to what to do. "We need to get in there," Dempsey said at last. His eyes shifted to Harry. He raised one eyebrow.

Harry understood and answered only: "Go on then, you thug."

Dempsey turned his shoulder to the door and threw his whole weight into it. The door jumped but did not give; he barged it again. It took him a moment to realise that Harry was tapping him on the shoulder. When he looked around, he saw that she was holding up the key triumphantly.

"Always look under the flowerpots," she said, and unlocked the door.

The moment the door was open, the smell of rotting flesh immediately overcame them. Harry covered her nose and mouth with her hand; Dempsey grimaced. The smell of death permeated every corner of the unlit, claustrophobic room. They both approached the body and Harry saw a piece of paper clutched in the man's hand.

"_It's all my fault,_" she read aloud. "_When Sam dumped me I was so upset. I was angry as well. My friends took it too far. They borrowed the dog one night when they were drunk and went after her. I should have stopped them. Now she's in hospital and I don't know if she's going to wake up. I can't let the dog live after what he did and I can't carry on after what I did. So I'm going to kill us both. I'm about to take an overdose. Probably no one will care but I thought I should explain. Sorry Sam. Love Greg. _Then there's a list of his friends who took the dog and got it to attack her."

"Poor kid," Dempsey remarked.

"Gregory or Sam?"

"Both."

Harry sighed deeply. "I suppose we'd better report this."

Dempsey put his arm around her shoulders and they left the house, closing the door on the tragic suicide.

--

Harry waited for Spikings to finish speaking to Chas in his office. Tommy Stone and his two accomplices had been interviewed by other officers and she and Dempsey were waiting to hear what had been revealed.

Finally, Chas left Spikings' office and gestured for them to go inside.

"Well done you two," their boss began as they sat down. "You managed to avert a major theft. Stone and his friends have admitted to attempted burglary and possession of firearms, and Stone has admitted to demanding money with menaces. We've got them." He seemed more cheerful than he had been in weeks. "It turns out you were exactly right. Stone found out how rich Grace's ex-husband was and started demanding money. Oliver skimmed his partner's profits in order to pay him but when he started falling short he persuaded his step-daughter to start stealing from the casino. It was a way of getting cash out of Oliver Smith as well as reminding him that he was still watching him. Unfortunately, Erica didn't have much of an eye for jewellery, and in the end Stone decided to go for the big money and do a raid."

"Lucky we caught him when we did, sir," Harry replied, yawning.

"Chief, I think Harry needs a couple days off," Dempsey announced, frowning at her.

Spikings looked at her closely. "You do look exhausted, Harry. Why don't you have the rest of the week off?"

"I'm fine," Harry insisted determinedly.

"You're not coming in until next week," Spikings told her firmly. "It's Wednesday today, so if you come back on Monday that's four and a half days off. Alright?"

"Right, sir," she agreed reluctantly.

"Dempsey, you can finish last night's report."

Dempsey groaned. He had to be stuck inside doing paperwork while Harry had a nice relaxing holiday! She'd probably spend it all with Jack, he thought snidely.

Then he wondered why that bothered him so much.

--:--

'Specially for my friend Becca: after they report the death, the SOCOs turn up. One of them is called Becca and goes up and pokes the body. Becca wanted me to write this - I didn't know how to include it properly but in my head it still happens so I thought I'd write it on here.

Oh, and for the next episode I'm going to finish writing it before I start uploading; this means that there'll be a long wait until it starts but a much shorter wait in-between chapters.


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